May 2021

Small Bites Friday Five 5-14-2021

20-30m – Watch this video that explains the Truth Commission of South Africa and the process they used to confront racial violence and inequities. Compare and contrast the similarities of the Apartheid system and issues with our own system

15-20m – Read this Andrew Johnson article and watch the accompanying video on critical race theory. Reflect on his definition and compare it to what you’ve heard or read.

10-15m – Read this Phi Delta Kappan article from Antony Farag on why we do students in schools with predominantly White populations a disservice when we do not teach them to explore varied perspectives and experiences.

5-10m – Read this American Bar article from Janel George that explains some of the basics of critical race theory and its implications.

0-5m – Read this article on confirmation bias from VeryWellMind. Remember, you will be tempted to find information on critical race theory that supports what you already believe. If you have some extra time, read articles on CRT written by those who do not espouse your opinion and take note of valid points. Every argument has them.

Doris Day. Farrah Fawcett. Cindy Crawford. Madonna. Then finally Janet, Whitney, Naomi. Finally.

Watching TV with my grandmother and great-grandmother in our multigenerational household meant that I grew up on a LOT of old Hollywood movies. At that time, movie directors were still selling Elizabeth Taylor as a North African and White extras speaking broken English as ‘Indians’. On the screens I grew up watching, people who looked like me were mostly invisible. Even though the doctors I saw were Black, all the pretty young women I knew in my community were black, the lawyers and stage actors I knew were Black, the amazingly talented musicians I knew were Black and the hard-working everyday heroes I knew were Black; the message mainstream media presented to me was that if you were not White, your story, your accomplishments, were not valuable and not worthy of being visible.

When you see don’t see yourself in history, stories and achievements represented in textbooks, magazines and on screen; when you are taught through classical education that the great philosophers and composers were White and mostly from Western European civilizations; you internalize a message of being less than because society constantly tells you who is greater than. That is what “White supremacy” is at its core. It’s not people being mean or even discriminating against others. It’s an acceptance of messaging that values whiteness and white cultures over others. That value—and lack of value for diverse cultures— plays out in a million ways in education, economics, healthcare and other sectors. If you are White, you may not notice. If you aren’t White, it’s your norm. Now, if I were White and reading this, I might read this and feel angry, accused or even feel I was being guilted up about something I have no control over.  

It is not my intention to make anyone feel guilty about the systems that value western White cultures above others. I just hope you can imagine what it’s like for those of us who are from the many great societies that do not get the airplay that White ones do: I want you to think about what it would be like to live, for example, in China where you see Chinese stars and Chinese scientists and Chinese inventors, and where you are taught about the great ancient Chinese societies and philosophers and great Chinese achievement. You, however, are not Chinese. Can you imagine feeling small and insignificant? Can you imagine the energy it takes to develop and maintain your own sense of self-worth, when you rarely see people like you being touted for their contributions? That is what happens when society values one culture over others, when one culture is rated as ‘supreme’. Conversations about White supremacy are not some politically motivated reverse racism. They are simply a struggle for acknowledgement and needed change: non-White stories and cultural achievements have not been valued in the way that White ones have, and that puts us at a disadvantage.

If you are an educator, especially one skeptical of critical race theory or curricula like 1619, I get it. It seems to upend everything you’ve learned. But, as my great-grandma said, what we don’t know can fill a big book. The world was once believed to be flat, but we’ve evolved. Is it possible that knowing the truth about Andrew Jackson and the Trail of Tears, Japanese war heroes or the enslaved man responsible for the path that led to vaccine success can help us evolve and make us stronger, better, greater?

I have one ask: Consider how your students feel when they only hear about their historical greatness through the stories told in their homes and at family gatherings. If there is even one student feeling small and insignificant, can you make a difference? Can you be responsible for telling stories that change how students see themselves, which will change learning outcomes and contribute to transforming economic and health outcomes for whole communities? Can you divorce yourself from the rhetoric of critical race theory and just concentrate on the humanity of inclusivity?

Consider the power that you wield as an educator open to evolving as we learn more. The important questions have nothing to do with critical race theory or identity politics. The only important question is, are you willing to do the very best for each student whose life you touch. If you are, start by asking yourself, “who else was there” whenever you teach. By starting on a truth finding mission, you will be able to understand more and begin to reduce the size of that big book my great-grandma talked about. I wish you a wonderful journey of discovery, a journey that will be exceptional in its simplicity and transformational in its impact.